Scoop or grading attachment for farm tractors



June 4, 1.946. J. K. PlcKENs SCOOP OR GRADING ATTAGHMENTFOR FARM TRACTORS Filed March 3l, 1945 :www Julius K FcKEns APatented June 4, 1946V :UNITED 'STAT-Es PATENT NOFFICE FARM TRACTORS p Julius K. LPickens,Maryville, Tenn.' M .Application March 31, 1945, Serial No. 585,922 K c jloolaims. (ci. l37-128) fThisl-invention has referencegenerally to farm machinery and moreV particularly vrelates to a scoopor grading` attachment for farm tractors. Thepresent invention has for its primary aim andobject the provision of a device of the above character designed to be readily attached to and removed from the front end 4of row crop-tractors,

that is, tractors having the front wheels or crawlers close together. Commerclaly-available types arelknown in the trade as John Deere, Case, Farmall, Oliver, Allis Chalmers and others. The scoop is straddled about and positioned forwardly ofthe `hood ofthe tractor and canbe arranged in either -a self-loading scrapingposition', a leveled carrying position or a dumping position, so as to aid the `farmer in clearing waste` from and around the zbarn, leveling roads and elds, excavating, draining lowlands and performing `other truck jobsion the farm.

As an equally importantrobject the invention embraces the provision' of a tractorlattachment whichis especially adapted for excavating, being self loading and capable of hauling from two to four yards of dirt, rock, sand etc. and of spreading'the load at the desired place in themanner of a dump truck. A Y i i More particularl'ytheinvention may besaid to consist of a body having a scooping front end andv a bifurcated rear end providing dumping channels,the body being pivotally mounted-in-bearings provided lat the forward part `of the tractor frame in' such manner `that the-scoop has a normal tendency to tilt forwardly and assume a ground engaging position in advance of the tractor, means being provided for raising the forward end into a leveled carrying or fhauling--position and/ or `into anelevateddumping position.

Fig. lvis a side elevational view of the improved scoop, `applied `to a `tractor ofthe John Deere type, and shown in the scooping position, the dotted lines showing the-positions assumed when hauling or carrying and dumping,` parts being broken away `to show detailsand Eig. 2 isa top'plan `view of thearrangement shownin Fig. 1., -i i Similar characters vof reference are employed in all ofthe above-described views lto indicate correspondingfparts.A

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing;thereisfillustrated a tractor of the John Deere type and removablylarranged on the -front end 'thereof .is `the improved sco'oping and-grading attachment. The-attachment comprises a substantially rectangular body l having a substantially flat bottomf2, theifor'ward scraping endofwhich is1slight1y inclinedas at 3 while the medial -andrearportion isbifurcated as at 4r (Fig.-2) =so. as to be straddle'd about'the :forward rMore specific objects ofi the'finventionconsist in the provision of guiding and connecting `means combined with the lifting means foroperably connecting thelatter with lthepower lift of thetrac#v tor'andthe provision vof journals and supporting brackets and shafts' for attachment`- of 'thescoop tothe frame of the tractor, to facilitate its 1quick application and removal, "as well as the vprovision of pivoted end 'gates' on the dumping 'channeled ends of the body.

Other objects, as well as the nature and characteristic features fand scope of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claims forming a part of this specification.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

endof the tractor. The body at thesides and along the bifurcationis provided with outer walls 5 and inner `walls 6, the latter at the'inner part of the bifurcation being joined to form a `divider l so that material'scooped" from the ground may be'guided into the channels 8` provided'along the sides andto the rear=of` th'eiscoop, as clearly shcwnin'iiig. 2 of the fdrawing." End"gates 9: are pivotally connected at 9 to thewalls at the Irear endsof the `channels rso that material may be discharged therefrom.

`In orderthat therscoopbody may be removably and pivotally connected tothe frame ofthe tractor, bearings 0(Fig.'2)' arexedto the side of the frame? near its "frontend for receivinga transverse 'supporting shaft I Vtheferids of which projectV beyond the `sides of the tractor frame and are also journaled in brackets l2 secured to the bottom of the scoop body toward its rear end sothatowing to the' greater weightof the forward'end it' willfnormally assume a tilting or inclined` position asshow'nin full lineslin Fig. 1. In this connection it is Ito 'be 'noted that the depth of the'fbifurcation' 4' issuchthat the scoop clears the hood of 'thetractor wh'eiiit is desired to swing .the body Ainto 4anelevated dumping position as in reducing this feature of the invention to practice, uprights I3 are fixed to yopposite sides ofthe Various means may be employed for imparting movement to the cables, butin the Vexample shown, the opposite ends of the cables arefixed v to arms 2l forming parts of a conventional hydraulic power lift of the Deere tractor, said arms being operated bythe foot lever 22 of the tractor 2. A scoop or grading attachment as claimed in claim 1 in which the scooping body is provided with a divider at the forward end of the bifurcation and with upright walls along the sides formi-F ing spaced channels at the sides of the body eil;e tending tothe rear` thereof and into which maar terial is directed by the divider.

3. Aescoop or grading attachnlerentn as claimed? in?, claim lfin which means operably connected toi1 the "power lift of the tractor 'are' provided for.` raising and lowering the front end of the scoop into dumping, loading and carrying positions.

' 4.' Thecombination with a tractor of the row `ycrop type having a narrow frame at the front and so that the scoop body may be moved to andheld in any of its described positions.

Normally the scoop body is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and when the tractor is moved forwardly the scoop bodywill'become automatically loaded.;V When' loaded the power liftis operated to move the body to a horizontal or carrying position as shown in'dotted lines. Sub`- `sequently when al desired dumping point is reached by the tractor the Y.power lift Visfagainl operated to move the Scoop body to a dumping position. alsoshown in dotted lines, the'end gates" 9 having in the meantimev been unlatchedto permit the material to be dumped or spread'from the chan nels Il.V

It'is'believed that the manner of` operating my scoop'wll be evident from the preceding description. Likewise it is believed that the advantages of the invention will be readily apparent. While I have described what I consider to vbe the best embodiments of myrscoop attachment; it is obvious, of course,V that various modifications can be made in the specific structures shown and describedwithout `departing from the purview of this invention. My attachment can be iitted to other makes of tractors readily,provided that they are of. the row croptype which have low front wheels vwhich d'not extend laterally substantially beyond thelimits ofthe .tractor` hood. Variousmeans can be vemployed for operating thesc'oop from the hydraulic power lifts o f these tractors. The rear bifurcated ends lOf'th'escoop can be. designed so as to 'dumoeither centrally,

to the outsideor directly to theurear, as in the embodiment shown in the drawingy'fY And while I have mentioned Vseveral uses to lwhich the' attachment canY be put :it is evident that many additional useswillbe' Afound by intelligent operators. Other modifications ofi-this invention which fall within the scope ofthe following claims witll be immediately evident to those skilled inthis ar Y 1 WhatI caimV is: I i Y l. A scoop or grading attachment for'tractors of therow crop type having 'closely-spaced, low

s and dumping of the attachment.

supporting wheels, which comprises' a scooping Y body arranged` transverselyl and forwardly ofthe irontv wheels of the tractor and having the medial and rear portionfbifurcated and straddled about the frontof the tractor frameand pivotally connected to the latter-at a point in proximity to the rear end of the body so that the front end is normally tilted toward and engaged withthe ground.

closely arranged low front wheel supporting members and a power lift at the rear thereof of a. scooping' and carrying body arranged transversely of the front of the tractor having the medial and rear portions bifurcated and straddled about the front of the frame and the front supporting members thereof and pivotally and removably connected to the frame in such a' mannerfthatthe front end of the scooping bodynormally'engages the ground, and'means for raising and lowering the body comprising brackets and pulleys mounted Von the frame of the tractor and cables having their front ends' fixed to the front of the scooping body and trained about the pulleys and operably connected to the power lift. l

` 5.*An arrangement as claimed in claim 4 in which the body is' provldedwith uprighty walls along its sides and the sides of the bifurcation to -form a divider at the front of the bifurcation and spaced channels extending alongtthe sidesL tov the rearand swinging end gates forclosing the rear Aends ofthe channels. 6. A tractor of the row crop type havingfa frame, a narrowhood and low front wheelswhich extend laterally not substantially beyond the con;V fines of the hood, in combination with afscoop attachment pivoted to said frame and havingf a body extending in front of said h'ood,=tlie'rear end' of i said body being formedV into two. channels straddledaround on both sides of saidrhood, the front end of said attachment being adaptedfto scoop up dirt and the like and the rear end'being adapted to dump said dirt, andmeans for raising andv loweringrthe front end Vof said Vattachment about said pivot to bring Ythe attachment'linto loadinacarrylng and dumping positions." i 7. The combination of claim 6 wherein means is provided for dividing the dirt scooped up and directing it into said channels during loadin 8.oThe combination of claim wherein-said tractoris provided with a power lift and wherein saidraising and lowering means includes aconnection fromI the front end of said attachment to said power lift. A

9. The'coinbination of claim 6 wherein the rear JULIUs K. PICKENS. 

